I wish Yakubu well but I won't forgive him

 

Look at them, from L-R. FM, Olumide, Yakubu, Gbemisola and Benneth. (Photo credit: Chinasa)

One thing my job has taught me is that people always leave. It hurts when some do and it’s just good riddance when others do, I’m one hell of an emotional being, I’m not an enemy of progress so anyone can go find fulfilment elsewhere but I won’t forgive Yakubu.

Wale Awonusi’s exit at M&P would have been my biggest miss but I left before him, I probably would have cried cos he was my sidekick at work, not like his way was that pure, but he’s the most professional I’ve ever worked with and boy, dude knows his job.

When Toyin Adepegba told me she was leaving BR, a part of me froze; you know how it feels to lose someone that gives ideas, she’s energetic and always the life of the party, coming out of the blues to announce departure hurts but I could understand hers…

LAK has always been slippery, I will keep his story till the day I decide to write about him, Odia was never a BR kinda guy so let him go get a job at PornHub, Tanyia should never have been recruited by M&P in the first place so her exit didn’t move me, but you see this Yakubu? E pepper me and here’s why.

Make no mistakes, no one is going to be here forever, I knew that when my father passed away but I still need some crash course on how people have colleagues without emotional connection. Once you walk in through the door and the HR introduces you as my colleague, we’re cool or maybe I just get attached too easily.

Yakubu is a creative guy, not the best ever but he delivers. When I joined BR, I figured most people would rather work with Olumide (Yakubu’s boss) and the reason was because Yakubu’s works were better left without words then and you really can’t blame anyone for feeling that way.

Account managers/Client Service folks know what they face before their clients, if you don’t come correct, it’s best they clear you before we go embarrass ourselves ni igboro aye. Yakubu was frustrating to work with then, you will have to explain and explain…

Then came one volatile Monday progress meeting, I actually thought Yakubu would be fired that day because complains were too much and he was also heaping too much pressure on Olumide, LAK was adamant that there’s something in Yakubu and we all should just be patient with him, that he would come through if we’re clear with instructions.

It was as if a loose bolt in his head was fixed, Yakubu suddenly became a monster of an artiste. Yakubu singlehandedly ran the Golden Morn creative, it was a deck of about 80 slides and he came through on every single slide where creative was needed.

From that point, it was like a new star was born, confidence was high in the building and Olumide could finally have a break. Imagine enduring Yakubu’s days of frustrations, only for him to announce he’s leaving the agency now that he comes through on deliverables, will I be wrong to ask God to punish him?

Yakubu told us recently that he's a retired comedian, I don't know what to make of that but to be honest, his earlier designs used to make me laugh. Dude is close to being burnt, anyways anyone darker than I am is on the borders of burnt offering.

Yakubu only has one food, noodles and egg but he’s always fun at the table of men. His supply of Smirnoff Vodka works on some days and he’s never afraid of messing up the air with his flames, we missed Odia in that regard but…

I’m a cry baby? Well, it is what it is but this one hurts. Yakubu has only one playlist but I never complained because it’s filled with Kizz Daniel and some hardcore raps, why is he leaving now that he is good enough to command my respect?

This feels a lot like how I felt when Robin Van Persie asked to leave Arsenal for United. That bastard was injured for many seasons, and after finally gaining fitness for just one and half seasons, he suddenly remembered there was a little boy inside him that wanted to play for Manchester United.

I threw a mini-party when United terminated his contract by text message, he deserved that back-stabbing and I loved to see it but I wish Yakubu well; I am sincerely broken at his decision to leave right now but again, people always leave.

All the best with future endeavors, people come people go… The world remains.